


tony VI

by captainstarspangled



Series: when team members make peter cry [35]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Anorexia, College, Crying, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Sad Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 11:32:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19829311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainstarspangled/pseuds/captainstarspangled
Summary: Peter is struggling to make college decisions. Feeling to pressured to go into MIT, he tells everyone he was rejected.Tony finds his son lied and is there for some wise advice.





	tony VI

**Author's Note:**

> TW: mentions of anorexia with numbers... pls stay safe loves.

Peter’s struggle with anorexia had started just a bit before he’d start applying to colleges. It was an unhealthy time for the teenager, struggling with his mentality on top of being stressed out of his mind. 

It was during the days that it wasn’t yet as bad as it would become that he submitted applications to seven colleges, limiting himself to 1200 calories a day at the time. By the time the letters started to come in, it was down to 1000. 

Some of the colleges the Stark boy had applied to were Ivy League, but he truly didn’t care about those labels. He had chosen the ones that offered the best Mechanical Engineering programme and that was that. All he wanted was to get into MIT, anyway. Well, it was actually his dad who wanted him to get in there, to follow in his footsteps. 

Peter had absolutely no idea what he wanted. He’d always wanted to go to College with Ned, whose family in no way could afford MIT even with financial aid. On the other hand, things were weird between him and Ned since the other had started to go to the gym regularly. But if he did go to MIT, he would always be regarded as Tony Stark’s son, who was starting his course there a year older than his dad had graduated it. There was a ton of pressure on him and Peter hated it, whether he was inflicting it himself or not. 

Put simply, Peter was in a tough situation to decide where he would go to study. The letter from Massachusetts was the last one to arrive, who would’ve thought? 

The teenager was sat the couch when he arrived that afternoon after school, all the Avengers gathering around him in excitement while he got ready to open the letter, not quite knowing what to expect and neither knowing what he actually wanted to be written there. 

He tore the envelope slowly, making sure that no one was actually able to read the letter aside from him as he took in what was written there. 

‘Pleased’, ‘offer’, ‘class of 2023’, ‘remarkable’, ‘standing out’. Those were all the words Peter comprehended as he pretended to read his acceptance letter and realized he would’ve much rather been rejected.

“And?” Pops asked shakily after a while.

Peter closed the letter and shook his head, overwhelmed tears in his eyes that made a good mask for his pretended pity. “Rejected,” he said sheepishly.

“No way,” his dad exclaimed. “Show me,” he demanded but Peter had already placed the letter back in the envelope. 

“No, it’s fine,” he assured. “Can we just watch a movie or something?”

“Of course,” Tony said and sat down next to his son, who cuddled up to him right away. 

The Avengers all seemed shell shocked, unable to say anything, but after had given all of them a stern look, they sat down in front of the TV, cuddling up to Peter on the couch or draping themselves over a few armchairs around. 

“Hey sport,” Tony said when he entered Peter’s bedroom later that night. “You left this on the couch,” he said, walking over and handing his son the letter. 

“Oh thanks,” Peter said, sitting up a little, his back leaning against the headrest of his bed now. After a bit, he looked up at his dad who was looking back at him with raised eyebrows. “You looked at it?” The boy realized, not even mad at Tony for invading his privacy like that but madder at himself for forgetting to take the letter with him. 

The man nodded, sitting down at the edge of Peter’s bed. “Why did you say you were rejected?” He asked, his expression neutral.

“I-“ Peter took a big breath. He hated disappointing his dad and he couldn’t help the tears forming in his eyes. “I’m sorry I just didn’t know whether I actually wanted to go to MIT anymore,” he said with a sad sigh.

Tony put a hand on Peter’s knee. “You thought if everyone knew you were in, we’d force you to go?”

The boy frowned in response, then realized how ridiculous he was being. “I mean. If you get accepted to MIT, you go. I just didn’t want to disappoint you,” Peter said with a shrug and wiped at his eyes. 

His father’s heart stung at seeing the boy so emotional. “Peter, who cares where you’re going to study? You’re you and I’m proud of you for that, you wouldn’t even have to go to college for that to stay true. Where do you want to go?”

Peter looked up at his dad, tear all over his cheeks. “I uh-“ he started and used his sweater to wipe his face. “I’m not sure. Ned’s family can’t afford MIT, and he’s going to Cornell but I… I don’t even know if I want to live with him anymore. And at MIT I’ll always be your son who starts College older than you graduated it.”

Tony sighed at the sniffling boy next to him. “Peter, I was just as pressured into going there as you’re feeling. Can you imagine how many nights I was homesick and crying there, 13 years old and all alone 2600 miles away from home? I saw a lot of potential in you, but I didn’t want to pressure you into a gifted program like I was. You could’ve graduated MIT by now too but I wanted you to be a teenager and have fun and friends and to be here until you’re 18. Gosh I’ll be crying just as much when you’re gone as I was when I was there,” Tony said with a chuckle and was glad to finally see Peter smile. 

“Thanks dad,” Peter said with a sigh. “I mean… I could go to MIT but I’m not sure about Ned,” he pondered. 

“Did he apply?” Tony asked his son, already making up a plan in his mind. 

Upon Peter’s nod, Tony smiled. “Okay, call him, ask if he’s in, if he is, tell him he was just accepted into the Stark Scholarship Foundation. Same goes for your girlfriend,” Tony smiled. He knew that MJ probably could somehow afford to go, but he also knew that the girl would be paying off tuition for years to come.  
Peter’s face broke into a big smile. He was sure that going to college together would definitely mend his and Ned’s relationship, as they would be able to see each other a lot more then, especially studying together. Who knew, maybe his dad would even get them a flat in Massachusetts, just the three of them. Peter’s heart swelled at that, he was now majorly excited to go to University and to see what was to come.

**Author's Note:**

> holy shit guys this is work number 35! I'll post five more and then I'm officially done with this series :( but don't worry, I'll make a college series afterwards... since I'm going off to college myself in september AHHH.


End file.
